Iberica restaurant London
Shhh! I’m about to tell you a secret. It’s about a recipe called Secreto de cerdo Ibérico or Iberian pork secret.
Come a little closer. The secret is that it’s a tender cut of Ibérico pork from between the shoulder blade and loin and it’s not very well known and hard to find outside Spain. What’s more, it comes from Spain’s famous pata negra pigs – the ones that are raised to make the Spanish delicacy Jamon Ibérico, a protected heritage food.
These pigs are native to the Iberian peninsula and their origins can be traced back to Neolithic times. There is a theory that pigs brought to the Iberian peninsula by the Phoenicians interbred with wild boars to give the special cross that is now pata negra – it means black hoof.
Sighs and whispers
The breed evolved to forage in oak forests and even these days they feed on acorns and grasses, and they have a tendency to put on weight, which leads to high-levels of intramuscular fat – or what chefs like to call ‘marbling’.
Back to the secret cut. Those in the know compare it to the Wagyu beef of the Japanese: so far as pork goes, it is the best of the best, when grilled it is crispy on the outside and meltingly tender on the inside.
Secreto de cerdo Ibérico recipes vary, but they all feature the secreto cut grilled and often sliced, sometimes with an Oloroso sherry sauce – the meat is far too good to marinate, or coat in spices.
If you want to try it, secreto de cerdo Ibérico is on the menu at El Pirata in Mayfair’s Down Street, where it is served with potatoes, piperade and rosemary.
